Road Trip Snacks {Eating on the Road with Kids}

Is your family headed on a road trip this summer? We have some great tips for eating on the road. If you have additional road trip snack ideas, please leave a comment to share your ideas with other Kids Activities Blog readers.

Road Trip

Road Trips are my family’s favorite way to travel. And whether we are doing a day trip or an extended vacation, we want to be smart when it comes to eating on the road. It’s very easy to grab snacks at the gas station or pull into a fast-food restaurant while driving, but it isn’t always the healthiest alternative.

Eating on the Road

We have some great ideas for Road Trip Eating & Snacking for all ages:

Know your Family! Be prepared and pack what snacks they like to eat. My family loves beef jerky and we only eat it when we are on the road. Now is not the time to try something new.

Individual Portions! Buy snacks in pre-packaged portions (or make your own in little baggies). This is a great way to ensure children are not over eating and limits the mess a big bag can make.

Pack Smart! Find a container that works for you. We have used everything from a soft-sided cooler to a plastic bin for our snacks. It really is a personal preference and what fits best in your vehicle. Just make sure you have created one central location in the car for the snacks to go. Preferably accessible to who you want it accessible to.

Include Drinks! If you have dry snacks, it is always best to include drinks. Personally, the only drinks we allow in the car on road trips is water. It’s just so much easier to clean up a water mess over juice or soda.

Keep your hands clean! If children are eating snacks with their hands, they really should have some way to clean them. We prefer hand sanitizers and they are all over the car when we travel.

Trash bags/bins! We always pack a stash of plastic garbage bags in the bottom of our snack bin. So many uses for them other than just a place to hold trash.

Road Trip Snacks

The list could go on and one, but here are some of our favorite snack ideas:

Individual cracker/cookie snacks

Pre-portioned grapes

Cutie/clementine oranges – put them in their own baggie to put the peels in – makes the car smell GREAT!

Snacks for the Road

I like to always include a “surprise snack” that my kids don’t expect – their favorite candy, pastry, cookie, etc. – its always a fun treat for them to discover.

So take the time to plan ahead on your next road trip with a few of your favorite snacks.

More Kids Activities

What is your family’s favorite Road Trip Snack? Do you have and tips and tricks for surviving eating on the road with kids? For more great kids activities and road trip ideas, take a look at these ideas before you pack up the minivan:

Rebecca Darling, momma of 3 sassy Texas kiddos, writes a blog dedicated to family travel at R We There Yet Mom?. Although she swears she is not crafty, this momma never lacks in creativity and enthusiasm - her ultimate goal is making exceptional memories for her family. Follow her memory making at R We There Yet Mom?, on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.